Magnetic lifting device



Pate nted Mar. I4, 1899.

A. HDNELL. IAGNE'HC LIFTING DEVICE.

{Lpplicltion Mod my 12, 1808.1

(No Madam,

lNVENTOR WITIIISSEB UNITEIS' STAT S.

PATENT OFFICE.

AMBROSE MONELL, OF HOMFSTEAD,-PENNSYLVANIA.

IMAGNETICLIFTING DEVICE.

srncmcar'ronrorming part of Letters Patent no. 621,267, dated March 14,1899.

mu icians 12,1898. Serisll'o.680,505.. maniac.)

To all'whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that-I, Ansaosn MONELL, of Homestead, in the county ofAllegheny and State of- Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Magnetic Lifting Devices, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to' theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which 1'0i-"igure 1 is a side elevation, partly in sec-.

tion, showing one-form of my improved apparatus adapted forpicking upsheets or plates of relatively thin cross-section.. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

My invention relatesto the picking up and holding of pieces of. metal ofauy shape by.

means of electromagnets. It isprimarily designed for picking up andcarryingabout these pieces to any desired point. It enablesme to pickupfrom a pile of iron or steel articles an one of these articles withoutexertingsuflicicnt attraction upon another or others of the articles tocause them to be picked up with :5 the one article desired to be lifted,while at the same time the magnets are sufiiciently strong to lift. anumber of the articles, or even ihe whole pile,.provided they aremechanically tied to the article lifted. 0 My improved device enables meto pick up articles'haviugconsiderable range as to weight and thicknessor size, while at the same time the abovenam'ed functions are carriedout.-

To that end my invention consists in a series of magnets the liftingpower of which is proportioned to lift the heaviest weight desired andeach magnet being proportionedso be practically completed through thesmall- 0 est. thickness of article to which it is applied,

these magnets beingearried on an equalizing- :uipport which distributesthe lifting strain equally am (mg them. By using the series of magnetsproportioned and supported in this .among them.

that the magnetic lines between its poles will murmu -iv? i.i.!"diflieult has always occurred that when a magnet was so proportioned asto retain a reasonable factor of safetyin picking up certain articlesitwas not adjustedso as to do only the work required and no more.

With these former devices, therefore, it was found almost impossible topick up'one arti-' cle from a pile, especially if these articleswere ofdifferent weights, without lifting one or more-others from the pile.

In applying my invention to the picking up of broad flat pieces ofmaterial-en ch as slabs,

plates, sheets, &c.--I employ a series of electromagnc 3, these beingsufficient in number to give the desired lifting force for the heat:iest weight to be lifted with a-larg'e factor-of safety, while the sizeof each individual mag net is so proportioned that its magneti'elines offorce will be substau'tiallycompleted through the thinnest plate, slab,or sheet to be liftedthat is, the heaviest weight to be. lifted governsthe number of the eleetromagnets, while the smallest cross section orthickness to which the magnet is applied-that is,' between the polesbfthe magnet'govcrns the size and design of the individual magnets. Thesemagnets are niounted'on an equalizing-support which distributes thelifting strain equally The instructions just given will make it clear tothe practical electrician just how the magnets should be constructedwithin the principles of my invention, for the direction of the lines offorce in anygiven magnet' is easily determinable and the poles should beso related, as above stated, that substantially body to be lifted,

In the drawings, in which I show my apparatus as particularly designedfor picking up plates, 2 is a liftingbar centrally and pi votallysupported from a chain 3, depending froma trolley or any other desiredsupport, this bar having curved rests 4 at its ends, containing cleviees5, secured by clips 6, within which clevis is secured across-bar7,havingswinging bars 8 at its ends. Each bar 8 is provided near its endwith curved rests 9 for the curved portions of the cores of ordinaryhorseshoe-electromagncts 10. Flexible conductors 11 are provided to leadthe current to the various magnets, and suitable switches may beprovided to energize and deeuergize the magnets,

all the lines of force shall pass through the energized, the linesofrforce 'of "each magnet will be practically completed through this Sof liftingother adjacent articles with the one desired tobe lifted. Thesystem of equalizerbars enables the magnets to adjust them; selvesto-the position in which the article is lying, as well as its shape, sothe plates'lying at an angle, as well as curved, plates, may

be picked up and tra'nsferred'to the desired point, The bars'are alsoarranged so that the lift of the device will be substantially evenlydistributed amongthe magnets. The magnets are of course-.deenergiaed todrop the plate at the desired points 1 I If it is desiredto liftmore-than one plate, clamps or yokesmay beernplo'yed to fasten theplates temporarily together, and the series of plates will then belifted if their combined weights are within the limiting weight forwhich the magnets are proportioned.

Inconstructing the device, to'give a specific example, if it is desiredto lift single-plates varying in thickness from one-halfan inch to twoinches and to lift a weight'varying from five hundred to seven thousandpounds, each individual magnet will be proportioned so 40 that the linesof force between its poles will single article, so. that'there will beno danger gle article may be lifted from a pile without danger oflifting any of the adjacent articles, and this article may vary widelybetween the determined limits for which the apparatus is designed bothin cross-section and in weight. The equalizing-bars enable the magnetsto adjust themselves to the plate, whether curved or lying at anangle,and the whole system is simple and easily constructed.

Variations may. be made in the form of the magnets, as well as in theirarrangement and means for -su pport, without departing .frommyinvention, since I consider myself the first to arrange magnets forthis purpose according to the principle above stated on anequalizing-support.

I claimbeing proportioned. to lift thc'heaviest weight desired, and eachindividual magnetbeing proportioned so that'the magnetic lines betweenits poles will be practically completed through the smallest thicknessof article to which it is applied, means for energizing and 'denergizingsaid' magnets; and an equalizing-support for the magnets arranged todistribute the lifting strain equally among them substantially asdescribed.

2. In a magnetic carrying device. a pivotal support having pivotalequalizer'barmand electromagnets carried upon' said equalizerbars, thebars being arranged so that-the liftin g power will be substantiallyevenly distributed over the surface among the magnets; substantially asdescribed. 3. In ,a magnetic carryingdevice, a pivotal support carryingswinging equalizer-bars and magnets carried u pen the equalizenbars',each magnet being. so proportioned that the mag- -netic lines betweenits poles will be substan- 7o 1. In a magnetic carrying devlce, a seriesof electromagnets, the lifting power of the'series I all besubstantially completed through the halfinchplate, while ,a sulficientnumber of magnets will be provided to lift seven thousand pounds with ,alarge factor of safety; 5 Hence it will be seen that in any single platevarying from one-half inch to two inches in thickness and in weight fromlive hundred tiall'y completedthrough the smallest ,thickness of metalto which it is applied, the lifting power of the series of magnets beingproportioned to lift the greatest weight desired; substantially asdescribed;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set too to-seven thousand poundstlggdlines offorce my hand. i will be substantially comple through this1 J gin article and it -wil ibe'liftedsingly from apile AMBROSE MQNEI ofarticles; a Witnesses:

Tnouas W. .BAKEWELL,

The advantages of myi'nveri tion result from r G. I Honnsn1r.

the fact that with a single lifting-device a sin-

